Exploring the Interactions of Factory Workers in China: A Model Development Using the Grounded Theory Approach

Abstract

This study uses the grounded theory approach to explore factory workers to factory worker interaction (FWI) in the context of Chinese factories and proposes a model of FWI in the workplace. Human interaction in the workplace is indispensable in most sectors. Compared with large-scale factories, China’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) factories lack capital resources and technological advancement, and sustainably managing factory workers is essential for the development of Chinese SME factories. However, previous studies have ignored FWI in Chinese factories. The model developed in this study considers the types, driving factors, and influential outcomes of FWI. The main factors affecting FWI are the individual characteristics of the workplace and external environmental factors and, among types of FWI, information sharing is the most dominant and prevailing. The managers’ management style and the emotional state of factory workers are playing moderating roles in FWI. Results show that factory managers can take advantage of the positive impacts of FWI to improve the efficiency of factory workers and avoid its negative effects to achieve sustainable development of the factory. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided.